TORONTO, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
| WHERE: | Queen’s Park outside the Legislative Building. |
| WHEN: | Today, Tuesday April 30, 2019 at 12:00 p.m the crowd will gather at Queen’s Park. |
| Note: there will be pre-rallies starting at 11:45 a.m. in front of Sick Kids Hospital and UHN, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and a march up University Ave. beginning at approx.. 12:15 p.m. | |
| WHAT: | Mass rally. Expecting 10,000+ people. More than 120 buses coming in from across Ontario. An up-to-date list of the health care cuts/changes by the Ford government is here: https://www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca/index.php/mounting-health-care-cuts/ |
| WHO: | The Ontario Health Coalition represents more than half-a-million Ontarians in a network of more than 400 member organizations and more than 50 local chapters. The Coalition is made up of patient groups, seniors’ organizations, unions representing health care workers and private sector workers, health professionals, doctors, nurses, cultural organizations, women’s groups, anti-poverty and social justice groups, ecumenical and faith organizations, municipalities, businesses, non-profit health and social services and many more. |
| Music: | Samba Squad will be on University Avenue and will lead the march. Benny Esguerra and the New Tradition Music Group will open and close the rally on the main stage at Queen’s Park. |
Speakers will include:
| Ontario Health Coalition Natalie Mehra – Executive Director | |
| Patients concerned about cuts/mergers/privatization: Shalon Armstrong - chronic pain patient Paul Kahnert – colon cancer survivor Marilyn Birmingham –leukemia survivor Lyyli MacDonald – organ donation recipient Municipal Leaders concerned about cuts to Public Health Units: Ross Sutherland, R.N., M.A.-- Municipal Councillor, South Frontenac Township, Co-Chair Ontario Health Coalition | |
| Leaders representing doctors, nurses, health professionals and workers: Dr. Ritika Goel – Physician Mark Hancock – President, Canadian Union of Public Employees Naureen Rizvi – Ontario Regional Director, UNIFOR Smokey Thomas – President, Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union Vicki McKenna – President, Ontario Nurses’ Association Chris Buckley – President, Ontario Federation of Labour Marie Clarke Walker – Secretary Treasurer, Canadian Labour Congress | |
| Leaders of Political Parties: Andrea Horwath – Leader of the Official Opposition, NDP Party of Ontario John Fraser – Leader, Liberal Party of Ontario Mike Schriener – Leader, Green Party of Ontario | |
| Paramedics concerned about proposed closure of local ambulance services and plans to privatize them: Jason Fraser - paramedic | |
| Students concerned about the future of public health care for all: Maria Kashif, speaker, Nursing Students for Social Justice Nursing students from Ryerson University concerned about cuts, restructuring and privatization will come to the stage. | |
| Local hospital advocacy groups concerned about mega-mergers and cuts: Shirley Roebuck, R.N. -- chair of health coalitions in rural southwestern Ontario joined by Bethann Cook, local coalition co-chair from Walpole Island First Nation. Bonnie Kennedy, R.N. -- chair of the Kawartha Lakes Health Coalition and retired nurse. Shirley and Bonnie will be joined by Don Copping and Fran Moreau, co chairs of the citizen’s group from Midland Ontario, advocating to protect their local services; Sue Hotte and others from the Niagara Health Coalition fighting to save the Niagara area hospitals from closure, members of the Stratford and Area Concerned Citizens and other local hospital advocacy groups. |
For more information contact: Devorah Goldberg, research & campaign director, 416-441-2502(w) 647-631-8811(c), Natalie Mehra, executive director 416-230-6402(c).